NEW YORK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The 12th China textile and apparel trade show kicked off in New York on Tuesday, with "added value" and "industry upgrade" becoming the key words for both the organizer and attendees.

The annual sourcing event, the only U.S. trade show mainly featuring Chinese made apparels, fabrics, and home textiles, is expected to attract thousands of visitors during the three-day exposition.

The 2011 show not only attracted 323 top Chinese textile companies from 18 provinces, but also over 300 international attendees from 16 countries and regions, an evidence that the China textile, apparel trade show has already developed to an important platform for international textile companies and industrial buyers.

Wang Tiankai, vice president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), said that with the production costs soaring, the only way for Chinese textile enterprises to maintain their competitive advantage is to add more values to their products.

"China needs to become a textile powerhouse rather than just an important textile nation. In order to survive in the process of industrial restructuring and upgrade, Chinese textile enterprises must add more values to their products through technology innovation and brand promotion," Want told Xinhua reporters.

CCPIT TEX, the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, produces the event in partnership with Messe Frankfurt, Inc. After 11 years of development, the China textile and apparel trade show has become one of the most renowned professional textile shows in the United States.